Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Original poster

Comments about names that you just don’t get

166 replies

jrt2022 · 12/09/2022 05:35

On mumsnet, I always see the same comments repeated about certain names, and while some I get, others I just can’t get my head around at all! For example:

On every thread asking about Lydia, someone mentioned ‘Lydia dustbin’. Lydia dustbin??? As in … lid of your dustbin, I assume but … WHY? Firstly - what about the lid of my dustbin? Also, loads of things have lids, so why only ‘lid of your dustbin’ in particular? Why not ‘lid of your jam jar’ or something. And even then - what about it? What is funny or interesting or bad about it? I just don’t get it.

There are loads of others but I don’t want to list them as I want to see what others think rather than just rant on about my own! So, any regularly thrown out comments to dismiss names that you think are weird/don’t make sense?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Wouldloveanother · 12/09/2022 05:48

The ‘High Court Judge’ test.
your child isn’t going to be a high court judge.
so don’t worry about it.

anotherpotoftea · 12/09/2022 07:54

People who dislike nicknames and are convinced they’re always going to say their child’s full three-syllable name every time.

Lilacsunflowers · 12/09/2022 07:59

Names labelled 'try hard' or 'pretentious'..?!

DuchessOfSausage · 12/09/2022 08:28

A BC name when you are only going to use a diminutive.
A name suitable for a High Court Judge.
A convoluted 'nn' for a long or frilly name.
The assertion that nobody will ever, ever abbreviate their child's name.
Names from other cultures being perfectly acceptable.
Posters saying that a name is underused, when it has been a top 10 name for about 12 years.
Worrying about the middle name, when the first name and surname don't flow.
Every middle name thread will suggest the middle names Rose, Grace or May, or James for a boy.
If you post that everyone you know who has the name gets called a nn (e.g. Ellis/Elsie, Neil/Nelly, Mark/Marky), it is met with complete disbelief.

PAFMO · 12/09/2022 08:32

Posters saying a foreign name is lovely, when the name is either the equivalent of Enoch or the equivalent of Adolf.

Though my personal favourite was the utter loon poster who got really offensive and abusive and banged on about cultural appropriation when there was a thread asking if Francesca was nice.

SirChenjins · 12/09/2022 08:40

When posters defend a completely made up name with the line 'every name was made up once'

Sandysandwich · 12/09/2022 08:45

Naughty boy names

BlueChampagne · 12/09/2022 13:18

People who say they don't like a name, because they knew a horrible one once?

Enko · 12/09/2022 13:24

People who won't read the top 100 list as they don't want a top 100 name.. how do you know what is a top 100 name if you don't do the research?

People who claims you can only use names of your heritage
Well my children's heritage is. English Scottish and Scandinavian. No names exist for this...

So they habe tectonic Greek French and Irish names. Stuff that idea dh and I picked names we loved.

mogwa · 12/09/2022 13:42

People who start a thread to ask how popular a certain name is instead of just looking it up.

Saying a name is bad because of a cultural reference from the past that's completely irrelevant to young people. Today's teens aren't going to know about 1980s soap opera characters.

Blahburst · 12/09/2022 13:44

Lydia dustbin is from an old knock knock joke.

SirChenjins · 12/09/2022 14:27

Names because your heritage is Iranian or whatever - which actually means your DH’s great grandfather came from the country. No-one since has set foot in the country once he left aged 7, you don’t speak the language or observe any of the traditions, but it gives you the uniqueness you crave.

Peccary · 13/09/2022 21:49

Disliking a name a name as it's associated with a tragic character (see this on here about DD's name)

Foxglovers · 13/09/2022 22:13

that they will ‘get lost in a sea of…(same or similar names)’
never have I said - oh I forgot who you were because there are so many ellas

HoratioNightboy · 13/09/2022 23:47

Lydia dustbin is from an old knock knock joke.

It was Lydia teapot where I come from...

Posters insisting no-one every uses middle names, or will ever know anyone else's, ergo they're not worth giving any thought to. I've never found this, and I even know a couple of people who enjoy using their full names even in informal situations. Why not, if they're nice names? It's quite entertaining, especially the one who has two middle (lovely) names!

2tired2bewitty · 13/09/2022 23:53

Asking how many Arlos you know when there’s no way of telling whether we all happen to know the same 3 Arlos.

user1477391263 · 14/09/2022 00:11

People saying "It's popular for a reason!" Most names were popular at some point, but aren't much liked now. It's called fashion! It doesn't mean the name is intrinsically nicer than other names or will never sound unfashionable.

user1477391263 · 14/09/2022 00:12

People who try to talk someone out of a name because "I knew a horrible woman with that name." Fascinating, how is that relevant to the OP?

Caszekey · 14/09/2022 00:16

Agree with Lilac, it's the "it's so TRY HARD" as the ultimate out down. Trying hard to be what?? How do you know I'm not actually whatever you think I'm trying to be / why would you think my kids name would suddenly make me whatever you think I want to be.

beebopper6 · 14/09/2022 00:23

Wouldloveanother · 12/09/2022 05:48

The ‘High Court Judge’ test.
your child isn’t going to be a high court judge.
so don’t worry about it.

Brutal

ScruffMuffin · 14/09/2022 00:53

"It doesn't go with his sister's name"... how long are they going to live together for? They're not a set.

Coming up with a nickname they want to use and then trying to engineer a proper name from it, often with the most tenuous of links. Like trying to get Poppet from Patricia or Mimi from Dominic/que (made-up examples).

Coming up with "a full/long name for the BC" while assuring us that it will never be used. So just use the short version! I did this.... think Tilly/ Maggie (it's not those) and put the short version on the BC.

Thinking they can control all nicknames, e.g. "nobody is ever going to call my little Alexander by Alex". OK then...

Making up spellings.

GogLais · 14/09/2022 13:10

Comments that it is OK to use a name from a different culture, or one to which you have only tenuous links with, and to post what you think is the pronunciation, spelling or meaning, and get it wrong.

Captinplanit · 14/09/2022 13:20

I don’t get why are people so desperate for their children to have a unique name? Pick a name you like, who cares if there’s already lots of kids with it already?

My DD has a fairly unusual name but my son is called James. Because they are my two favourite names! That’s all that mattered to me.

If you like Rose or May as a middle name then bloody well go for it. My middle name (Louise) is the same as half of the girls born in the early 80s, it’s never done me any harm!

toastofthetown · 14/09/2022 13:29

Please don’t name your child this OP

Lilacsunflowers · 14/09/2022 14:55

Pick a name you like, who cares if there’s already lots of kids with it already?

That kind of defeats the purpose of naming someone - to identify them as uniquely as possible. Very difficult if you're one of 10 Steve Smiths or Harry Jones, for example.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7